As personal trainers, one of the phrases we hear most often is “I just can’t lose weight.”
Most of the time if someone says that they can’t lose weight, it’s because they have experienced one or more of these common situations:
- This person has spent a good part of their life losing and then regaining the same pounds (yo-yo dieting).
- They have tried multiple diets, pills, cleanses, or other fixes that never last.
- They reliably struggle with 1 or 2 habits or reactions that keep setting them back.
- They have a deep-seated belief that they will always struggle and never really lose the weight. Or, very sadly, that they don’t deserve to be healthy.
- They can’t “stick to a diet” for any length of time.
Check out these epic weight loss failures:
- Cleanse diets
- Transformation challenges
- Biggest loser competitions
- 30-day detoxes
- Juice cleanses
- Smorgasbord of secret substances just now released to the public for 5 easy payments of $19.95.
The list goes on. None of these results in permanent weight loss.
So if you think that you can’t lose weight, consider these points:
- If you want to lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF, and become healthier PERMANENTLY, you have to change what you usually do. You have to change what’s normal for you.
- Change comes from the inside out. There isn’t anything outside of you that can change you. There’s always the hope that “giving up” that one thing — carbs, gluten, dairy, snacks, wine, desserts — will result in the magical transformation we all seek.There isn’t one thing that is the source of all your weight gain ails. Good nutrition is good nutrition, and the great news is that in a sensible nutrition plan, you can work in any of your favorite foods. You don’t have to “give up” anything!
Typical personal trainer’s approach to losing weight
Many personal trainers will write out strict diets for their clients to follow if they wanted to lose weight. And strict plans work. But the moment those clients are on their own, they go right back to their old habits. They haven’t changed anything. And yep, they end up right back where they started.
This approach to personal training and nutrition coaching fails the client. The followers become like robots, do what the trainer says, follow their plans, do their hours of cardio, etc. The problem is, habits don’t change when you’re “following a plan”. You’re just going through the motions temporarily. You don’t learn how to do this for yourself, change your habits and decision-making process, become consistent, or develop a desire for yourself.
Better approach to losing weight:
The Basics and Beyond fitness & nutrition approach is different.
No diets, no “you can’t have this or that” plans, no hours of cardio, no plethora of weight loss supplements, no cleanses or detoxes.
We focus on changes and upgrades.
Consistency. Honesty and reality checks. Correct thinking. Healthy choices. Tools to make good decisions.
And in the middle of all this, we exercise, lift heavy things, and get sweaty and tired, and have a great time doing it.
We don’t kill our clients with brutal workouts that they can barely survive.
We don’t make you give up your favorite foods.
We don’t expect you to quit your real life and drink the kool aid to become a 6-day-a-week fitness freak.
Just realistic exercise help, and effective LASTING nutrition upgrades.
If you like the sound of that, drop us a note and tell us what you need help with.